Using floristic gradient mapping to assess seasonal thaw depth in interior Alaska ...

• Main Authors: Döpper, Veronika, Panda, Santosh, Waigl, Christine, Braun, Matthias, Feilhauer, Hannes
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Technische Universität Berlin 2021
• Subjects: 550 Geowissenschaften; boreal vegetation; ordination; permafrost; predictive mapping; remote sensing; soil–vegetation interaction; Bonanza; Fairbanks; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-12092; https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/13300

Questions Is it possible to map floristic gradients in heterogeneous boreal vegetation by using remote‐sensing data? Does a continuous vegetation map enable the creation of a spatially continuous map of seasonal permafrost soil thaw depth? Location Bonanza Creek LTER, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. Methods Vegetation records are subjected to an ordination to extract the predominant floristic gradient. The ordination scores are then extrapolated using Sentinel 2 imagery and a digital elevation model (DEM). As the relation between vegetation pattern and seasonal thaw depth was confirmed in this study, the spatial distribution of ordination scores is then used to predict seasonal thaw depth over the same area. Results The first dimension of the ordination space separates species corresponding to moist and cold soil conditions from species associated with well‐drained soils. This floristic gradient was successfully mapped within the sampled plant communities. The extrapolated thaw depths follow the typical distribution ...